Entrepreneurial Pet Peeves

Entrepreneurial Pet Peeves

Thursday February 23, 2017, another gorgeous “winter” night here in sunny Downtown St. Pete, Florida. Oh how “terrible” our winters are here. Burr!! Ahahhahaa!! Tonight we gather, as we do every Thursday since 2009 for our weekly Entrepreneur Social Club meeting, then dinner and more drinks. A table full of Entrepreneurs, Students, Startups, Mentors and more… who will all air out our Entrepreneurial Pet Peeves tonight!

Below are newcomers Carl and Nicole Knaak, of AroundTheLeaf.com, their digital business consulting company. They hail from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, nearby where my father Michael F. was from; Waukesha. Welcome to sunny St. Pete! On the right is our fav Harvard Journalist Keith Long, welcome back Keith!

Fruityz via 5DollarFacials.com has some good ideas, you’re making good progress Julie… now you just need to hire a professional designer.

Cards are a communication piece. Who are you communicating to with your card? What is the response that you want? Everyone wants to get a check (payment for the goods / services you’re pedaling) at the end of of the response… so get your card done correctly! #1 mistake is NOT hiring a pro graphic artist. If you light their fire, everyone will notice… find and be niche, be specific, be clear, be compelling!

Pictured Below:

Curtis Blakey (bottom left, shorter black hair, gray long sleeves) is in start-up mode with their Local Business Takeover event, full of local vendors and performers. Think KSPL with an emphasis on our local African American families. Vendors and customers are looking to BE LOCAL, so this is great. Check the Saturday Morning Market. Find and target your specific niche. Keyaries, to Curtis’ left and Gennea with the beautiful braids to his right, are Curtis’ partners here. Welcome to the ESC!!

GINA TRACY (bottom right tank-top) says regarding biz cards, less is more. And get rid of www. and (phone) as we know what they mean already.

AroundTheLeaf.com Nicole and Carl Knaak new to ESC, their card was a bit over the head of small businesses… so again pick your niche… everyone is NOT a niche.

I was frustrated, forgot exactly why, over some business that I was trying to do business with. So I created a new segment called “Entrepreneurial Pet Peeves”. Everyone offered at least one PP, when they are trying to do business with a person / company and that person / business does something to aggravate them…

Entrepreneurial Pet Peeves

When trying to hire a business…what is your PET PEEVE?

= Can’t make a payment online (Nick)

= No instagram for photographers (Pierce)

= Remind people to do their job and them asking you to do that (Gina Tracy)

= Hiring an expert then telling that expert how to do your job (Chris Jenkins)

Pictured pitching above (the table was full so he’s speaking to be heard at far end) is Joel Hoo who runs a financial management think tank, Clear Capital Management. Ask Joel about his “Questions Every Business Owner Must Answer”.

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Late arrival is recovering entrepreneur – now a web developer – who previously had a rug company, Simmy (not pictured).

Hey Entrepreneurs! Looking to host a wedding, reception, corporate event or film shoot? Find out the many reasons why NOVA 535 is the #1 rated venue in St. Pete / Tampa by people just like you! Hint, because our 5-Star NOVA Way system is all about you!

Dinner at The Queensheads at 2501 Central Avenue (727-498-8584) was as always, tasty, fun, relaxing and most enjoyable. Tracy the owner is always kind enough to let us linger…probably cause we keep buying bottles of vino and drinkys. Bravo!

PS. here are all the photos from tonight’s event at historic wedding and event venue NOVA 535:

Born on April Fools Day in St. Pete, Florida, I’ve always loved learning, exploring, and making things better. Since completing my MBA in 1993, I’ve bought, renovated, and leased over a hundred historic buildings. Along the way, I realized my hometown deserved a unique event space, so I built a world-class venue called NOVA 535, which I’ve run since 2008. In the process, I developed “The NOVA Way”, a system of continuous improvement for business.In 2009, needing the company of like-minded folks, I created the Entrepreneur Social Club, a network of business owners from around the world who meet every Thursday to collaborate, mentor, and share knowledge. Now, traveling around the world (87 countries and counting), I’m using the expertise I’ve gained from throwing over a thousand 5 star weddings, parties, and events to consult with business owners worldwide, showing them how to achieve world-class service and operations in their business. My first book “It’s 5 AM Go Home!” gives step by step guidance on how to throw amazing events and the soon to be launched Customer Service College will provide formal coursework for business owners who want to achieve 5-star service.I’ve discovered we all face the same problems, and that when we work together, we all win. So let’s work together!Michael@MichaelSNovilla.com